There are those vehicles which, so that they can carry 6 to 7 passengers, have behind a front seat a plurality of rear seats made up of a front-row rear seat, which is a first rear seat, and a back-row rear seat, which is a second rear seat. For example, as disclosed in JP-UM-A-5-40029, a stowing structure for a vehicle seat is known in which a back row seat is folded down to increase the space inside a passenger compartment. This stowing structure will now be described on the basis of FIG. 42 and FIG. 43A through FIG. 43C.
Referring to FIG. 42, a vehicle seat stowing structure 500 is constructed so that normally a second rear seat 501 is disposed at the back of a car as shown with solid lines so that a passenger 502 can be seated, but for example when a large item of luggage is to be loaded into the passenger compartment 503 the second rear seat 501 can be stowed in a floor recess 504 formed behind it.
This vehicle seat stowing structure 500 will be described on the basis of FIG. 43A through FIG. 43C, using as an example the case of stowing the seat in the floor recess 504.
In FIG. 43A, to stow the second rear seat 501 of the vehicle seat stowing structure 500 in the floor recess 504, first, the seat back 506 is tipped forward as shown with an arrow to fold it down against the seat cushion 507.
In FIG. 43B, a headrest 508 is removed from the seat back 506 folded down against the seat cushion 507 and stowed in a headrest stowage part 509 (see FIG. 43C) provided inside the passenger compartment 503. Then, the seat cushion 507 is swung rearward about a support shaft 510 along with the seat back 506 as shown with an arrow.
In FIG. 43C, the seat cushion 507 and the seat back 506 (the second rear seat 501) are stowed in the floor recess 504.
Here, the second rear seat 501 itself is relatively heavy, and for the second rear seat 501 to be swung rearward in the vehicle body and stowed in the floor recess 504 by hand a large manipulating force is necessary. Also, when the second rear seat 501 is stowed in the floor recess 504, it is necessary for the second rear seat 501 to be unlocked as it is swung by hand.
Because of this, stowing the second rear seat 501 in the floor recess 504 is relatively troublesome, and in this point there has been room for improvement.
As means for ameliorating this problem, it is desirable for the effort required of the operator to be reduced by for example stowing the second rear seat 501 in the floor recess 504 electrically.
However, for the second rear seat 501 to be stowed in the floor recess 504 electrically, it is necessary for the second rear seat 501 to be provided with a drive source, and to provide a control unit for controlling this drive source.
The control unit must for example receive a signal from an operating switch and transmit a drive signal to the drive source, and when receiving an attitude signal from the second rear seat transmit a suitable signal to the drive source on the basis of that signal. To supply a suitable signal of this kind to the drive source, the control unit may be relatively large. Consequently, it has been generally considered that the control unit should be mounted on the vehicle body side.
However, when the control unit is mounted on the vehicle body side, because it is distant from actuators mounted to the second rear seat, harnesses connecting actuators and sensors to the control unit become long, and the laying of the harnesses may become troublesome.
In addition, as a result of a harness being led out from the second rear seat, when the second rear seat is being stowed, the harness led out may be caught up by the second rear seat. Therefore, to realize electric stowing of the second rear seat, there is a need for the harnesses connecting actuators and sensors to the control part to be made short, and for the harnesses to be prevented from being caught up by the second rear seat.
Also, when stowing of a seat is made electric, because it is necessary for the seat back and the seat cushion to be folded together and swung within a small passenger compartment, if the process is just simply made electric, because luggage and the like will sometimes become sandwiched between the seat and the vehicle body, there is a risk of the electric stowing system breaking down.
Accordingly, there is a need for the effort of the seat stowing task to be reduced; for the harnesses to be made short; for the harnesses to be prevented from being caught up when the seat is being stowed; and for the sandwiching of luggage and the like to be prevented.